


Perfection

by Space_Hawk



Series: Inktober 2020 [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst, Azula (Avatar) Needs a Hug, Azula (Avatar)-centric, Azula deserves better, Azula needs to be perfect, Gen, Ozai (Avatar) Being a Terrible Parent, POV Azula (Avatar), Zuko and Katara are only really mentioned, kind of emotional abuse, who expects too much from his kids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:07:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26778595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Space_Hawk/pseuds/Space_Hawk
Summary: Azula would not stop until it was perfect. Could not stop. She had to be perfect, there was no alternative.Inktober Day 2: Wisp
Series: Inktober 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1950592
Kudos: 24





	Perfection

Azula bowed low before her father, wisps of smoke still lingering in the air. She had just finished performing one of the advanced katas for the Fire Lord, who had recently begun overseeing her firebending training personally given the rate at which she was advancing.

“Very good Azula. That was almost perfect,” her father said in a cool voice. His expression was unreadable. Perhaps there was pride in it, but all Azula felt was disappointment. 

Almost perfect wasn’t perfect. And she had to be perfect. 

“Thank you father. But almost isn’t good enough.” At this a small smile appeared on her father’s face.

“Very well. I’ll leave you to continue practicing then.” With that, he left her alone in the courtyard. 

Azula took a deep breath and began the sequence again.

And again, it was almost perfect. The problem was that it wasn’t. 

She angrily wiped the wisps of baby hairs out of her face and began again.

And again. And again. And again.

She would not stop until it was perfect. Could not stop. She had to be perfect, there was no alternative. 

Her father expected perfection and so that was what she would give him. He already had one failure of a child and Azula would not add to that list. If she was to be Fire Lord one day, which was likely given her brother’s continual disappointment, she had to be perfect.

And so, she would be. Whatever it took, she would be perfect.

So she began the form again. Again and again and again. She kept repeating it for hours, until the sun had almost disappeared and day had almost turned to night. She kept repeating it until it was finally perfect. Until she was finally perfect. 

Because that’s who she was- a perfect firebender. A perfect daughter. A perfect heir. It’s who she had to be.

Years later, this lesson rang loud in her ears through screams of blue fire and anger. 

This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. She was supposed to be the Fire Lord. She had been a perfect firebender. She had been a perfect daughter. She had been perfect.

And yet, she had lost. 

She failed. 

And now her disappointment of a brother and a water tribe peasant stood over her, sadness in their eyes. She didn’t want their pity. She wanted to be Fire Lord. She wanted her destiny. 

How had she failed? Countless hours chasing perfection until she had finally achieved it and she had still failed.

As raging fire and streams of tears threatened to overtake her, only one thought remained in her mind.

Maybe she wasn’t as perfect as she thought.

**Author's Note:**

> This is definitely only loosely based on today's prompt of "wisp", but I had no better ideas for it, so this is what we're going with. All I can really say is that my girl Azula deserves so much better. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed and as always, kudos and comments are appreciated :)


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